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| Home Front: WoT |
| In Praise of Attrition |
| 2004-07-13 |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #6 To me, the money quote; "The truth is that even if you can’t kill yourself out of the problem, you can make the problem a great deal smaller by effective targeting." |
| Posted by: djh_usmc 2004-07-13 9:44:05 PM |
| #5 I disagree with this article. In a way, #3s statement is its capsuled summary. In truth, war *is* about attrition; but it is also about *selective* attrition, not just "them" instead of "us", but also of "hearts and minds." War is also about reducing, *if not eliminating*, the enemy's ability to wage war. War is also about "attitude adjustment" in an enemy government, or the replacement of an enemy government, to get rid of those factors that led to war in the first place. War is also about *protecting* the innocent from the violent, and even a little bit like being a policeman--protecting civility from criminals. Do you see where I am going? "War is diplomacy by other means." War is not an end in itself, it is an extention of policy, before, during and after the war is over. The US State Department was almost as busy as the Pentagon with Iraq, just from a *complementary* direction. So what is the single thing that the military does? The question is false. The military takes ALL possible means and methods at the same time, along with many non-military organizations, to accomplish not ONE goal, but many. Maneuver and strategy are part of it, as is technology, numbers, firepower, logistics, intelligence, discipline, community relations, and even the dreaded "nation building." |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2004-07-13 12:15:46 PM |
#4 Consider our enemies in the War on Terror. Men who believe, literally, that they are on a mission from God to destroy your civilization and who regard death as a promotion are not impressed by elegant maneuvers. You must find them, no matter how long it takes, then kill them. If they surrender, you must accord them their rights under the laws of war and international conventions. But, as we have learned so painfully from all the mindless, left-wing nonsense spouted about the prisoners at Guantanamo, you are much better off killing them before they have a chance to surrender. Excellent paragraph--to afford the enemies of civilization the protection offered by that same civilization is obscene, so it is best to minimize the opportunity! |
| Posted by: Dar 2004-07-13 12:07:53 PM |
| #3 To hell with attrition! Nuke 'em today, and save the botheration tomorrow! |
| Posted by: Dog Bites Trolls 2004-07-13 5:30:57 AM |
| #2 Ralph is "da man". if you haven't already done it read his fiction. |
| Posted by: Aussie Mike 2004-07-13 5:25:26 AM |
| #1 Great read tipper! There's a lot of meat to grind here. I'd like to stand by the sky boys some but it's hard to argue with killing the enemy, post haste! |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-07-13 3:03:38 AM |